| | | | | |

Christ-Centered Easter Week Activities for Families

This post may contain affiliate links.

What do you do to create a Christ-Centered Easter week in your home?  Holy Week is a wonderful time to teach your family more about the life of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.
We try really hard in our home to focus on the true meaning of Easter.  This week we are doing devotionals and activities related to Christ’s last week leading up to the Resurrection in the New Testament.
Here are some ideas to help keep your focus on Christ and the Resurrection this week instead of just chicks, bunnies, eggs and candy (although that is fun, too!) Some of the ideas come from a book my family loves to use called A Christ-Centered Easter: Day By Day Activities to Celebrate Easter Week by Janet and Joe Hales.
Christ_Centered_Easter

the holy week book

Another New Favorite Book is The Holy Week for Latter-Day Saint Families by Wendee Wilcox Rosborough

A Week of Christ-Centered Easter Activities

Pick up an Easter Nativity Set. We have this one:

We also have this one:  I like to set them on my mantle for Easter time.
Check out these Life of Jesus Bible Videos. They are truly wonderful!
Map of Jesus’s Footsteps the last few days of his life on Earth.
 Bible Story Printables , DLTK, and Christian Preschool Printables have Easter-themed ideas
I also love this Holy Week Calendar idea!
My Joy-Filled Life has a great round-up of faith-based Easter crafts.
Easter Olive Tree
This year, I got an artificial olive tree and some Easter ornaments to use to decorate it with.  It is a small tree and it cheers up our living room for this spring season!  Plus the olive tree has so many symbolic elements.
I found a set of wooden ornaments that we painted as well. This was a fun craft for my daughter and I to do together leading up to Easter week.

Easter Week Devotional and Activities

Easter Week Day 1: Palm Sunday & the Triumphal Entry

Scripture reading: Matthew 21:1-22; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-36
Activities & Discussion: Make Palm Leaves from green paper and act it out
You can also pick up some fun artificial palm leaves at a craft store or online.  They can decorate your space and be used in a Hosanna shout!
Learn favorite Easter hymns
Discuss the meaning of Hosanna & the symbolism of Palm leaves

Day 2: Monday- Cleansing the Temple and Healing the Sick

Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:12-18; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48

Activities & Discussion: Do the Easter Story in Eggs with your children.
Discuss what things you could cleanse from your home- physically or spiritually.
Play with Easter Story Cut-outs (make flannel board figures)
Visit temple or church buildings.  Do some cleaning of your home!

Day 3: Tuesday- Parables and Teaching

 
Scripture Reading: Read and discuss some of the parables of Jesus in Matthew 21-25; Mark 11-13; Luke 20-23
Activities & Discussion: Read the Picture Story- The First Easter
Make clay oil lamps & discuss the parable of the 10 Virgins
Discuss parables and why Jesus used them in teaching

Day 4: Wednesday- Rest in Bethany

Scripture Reading: Christ being Anointed with Oil and Judas Conspiring to Betray Christ
Matthew 26:6-16; Mark 14:3-11; Luke 21:3-6
Activities & Discussion:  Printable Story- He Sent His Son
Learn more about parables of Christ
Do some of the fun ideas from this Easter Family Devotional.
Wednesday is sometimes called Spy Wednesday because it was the day Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss.  Do some secret service (spy)  activities and leave a Hershey kiss behind.

Day 5: Thursday- The Last Supper and Gethsemane

 
Scripture Reading: Matthew 26: 17-75; Mark 14:12-72; Luke 22:7-65; John 13-18
Activities & Discussiuon: Discuss the Passover symbolism, taste foods that would have been eaten
(Original Passover- Exodus 7-14) Hold a simple Passover meal. Here is a great free packet for kids on the Passover.
Have a Jerusalem Themed Dinner in your home.
Discuss the significance of Jesus washing the feet of the apostles.
Talk about His agony in Gethsemane and how important that was- what it means to us.
Do a carnation experiment- put it in red water and talk about Christ’s atonement. The carnation will turn red after about a week- symbolic of Christ taking our sins upon Him.

Day 6: Friday- Jesus’ Trial and Crucifixion

Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:1-61; Mark 15:1-47; Luke 22-23; John:18-19
Activities & Discussion: Discuss the crucifixion and the significance.
Make a crown of thorns with clay and toothpicks or rose bushes.
Taste vinegar and talk about Jesus being given vinegar.
Sing hymns about Christ’s crucifixion.
Learn about the Stations of the Cross.
Make Easter Story Cookies or Hot Cross Buns.

Day 7: Saturday- The Sabbath

Scripture Reading: Matthew 27:62-66; Luke 23:56
Activities & Discussion: Talk about Jewish Sabbath observance
Do some of the fun activities from the websites listed above that you couldn’t fit in.
 
 

Day 8: Easter Sunday- Jesus’ Resurrection and Appearances

Scripture Reading: Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-12; Luke 14:1-49; John 20:1-23
Activities & Discussion: Make Resurrection Rolls for Breakfast
Eat a Jerusalem meal- We do this often! Here are some ideas:  Pita bread, hummus, dates, nuts, fish, rice, lentils.
Talk about Mary Magdalene and how the apostles responded to her
Listen to Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus
Act out the resurrection story as a family
Have each family member spend time in personal reflection- write in journals, pray, etc.
Have a Happy Christ-Centered Easter Week!
easterstory
Be sure to also visit my post: The Easter Story in Eggs.
stations of the cross book for kids
resurrection rolls recipe
Also check out my Resurrection Tree post.
Check out these AMAZING Christ-Centered Easter Activities as well!

Similar Posts

5 Comments

Leave a Reply